


Truthful Until The End.

by kurorbits



Category: kurorbits
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-19
Updated: 2020-11-06
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:06:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27414712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kurorbits/pseuds/kurorbits





	1. Chapter 1

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Like a battlefield, the King’s private field was swarming with dead bodies, only one stood proud with its sword steadied inside of a traitor’s corpse. 

The scene of that warrior’s standing, blood streaming from the places where the arrows have pierced through his body was terrifying even to those who were loyal to the King.

“ **Your majesty, your majesty** ” kept echoing through the palace; the king’s loyal servants were fearful for his life after the assassination attempt, but they didn’t dare to step closer to the warrior that was protecting his chamber.

The pleas of the subjects of the king awakened him from the slumber he was forced into, and the door of his chamber was soon opened by him, allowing the loyal warrior’s soulless body to fall on top of the corpses that bathed the field with their blood.

Only then it was known to everyone, life has long left the warrior’s body. The will to protect its master remained, causing the living to tremble in fear until he was allowed to depart at last when the King’s safety was known to the world.

* * *

  * **A Few Years in The Past, The First Encounter Between The Warrior and Its Master.**



In a house on the mountain, two siblings lived their lives as they tried to hold tightly into one another’s presence— wishing nothing but to have rice on their plates and medicine that will help one of them to not lose grip of the fragile stream of life he is holding into with his ill body.

The twins had different genders, yet each one of them lived in the other’s coat; Yeon lived as Hwi, while Hwi had to live as a shadow after giving his identity to his sister who provided the two of them the essence of their living.

She placed the bow on her back as she stepped into the apothecary, having little money to exchange with the only thing that kept her other half living “I didn’t have good hunting lately, but I will pay you back as soon as I get a better job”

That announcement held truth to it; she was known for seeing her promises through despite deceiving everyone into thinking she was a male. However, the physician was stubborn about his payment for the first time in a while “I am sorry, Hwi. I can’t give you the medicine if you didn’t pay back your debt— I have to feed my children, and the herbs are expensive to obtain with the drying lands”

She inhaled a deep, cold breath before she asked him— wishing that he wasn’t leading the conversation to the spot it ended at a few months ago “Are you telling me that you are going to increase the price of the medicine once again after doing that not long ago?”

A nod was all he needed to do, concealing the bitter feeling that accompanied the idea of forcing the hard-working boy into a corner. _You need to feed your children as well_ he kept repeating to himself so he won’t fold back and return the money he received in exchange for making this offer to the hunter “You said that your hunt wasn’t good this time, but there are rumours of nobles acquiring tigers and wolves skins the other hunters are providing from sneaking into the forbidden lands” 

Yeon heaved a sigh the moment she witnessed how sweaty the man in front of her became on the sole mention of Kangmujang, the bandits are trying to force her into taking another job by tampering with her ability to obtain the medicine for her brother; they pulled the same trick a few weeks ago when her twin’s condition worsened and she had to take a soul with her blade to save another.

Her helplessness sickened her, tempting her to walk away from everything and keep what left of her pride before she loses the last shred of humanity she has got left with the way those bandits seemed to trample over her life at their whims. However, she made a promise to the grave of her father, and she planned to keep it until the last breath she could take “If I don’t return in two days, could you deliver this month’s proportion to my brother? I might end up unable to move for a few days with this hunt, so I will apologize for the inconvenience once I return?”

Words were caught in the elder’s throat as he looked shamefully to the ground, fully understanding that she only asked him that as a way to ensure him that he wasn’t at fault for the outcomes of this job and it was her mess and hers alone to look after. The shame he felt started to suffocate him slowly, realizing once again how easily he yielded to the world’s cruelty.

She bid the distressed man goodbye with a smile before she disappears into the hills that led to the bandit's den, the place she could get money with her arrow as she grows more skilful with every passing day, stealing most of the offers other hunters were meant to share because of the reasonable prices she placed on her perfect hunts.

Her thrive was harmful to the rest of the hunters, yet, no one dared to complain about it out loud due to the fear of ending up as the target of one of her arrows. However, her certain death was approaching slowly— a ploy that has been threaded by an ambitious man was slowly clutching its fests on her throat, earning the leader of those bandits a hefty payment simply by pressing on her festering wounds.

She fixed the quiver on her shoulder as she held the bow with her right arm, kicking the door to the occupied tavern this late into the night “I heard you guys had a hard time hunting tigers when I was gone to chase down some rabbits?”

The leader of those bandits face twisted in anger, trying to soothe his mind by the idea of the little time the archer in front of him has left before she ceases to exist, losing a limb or two in the best outcome if she escaped death for the umpteenth time “Do you plan to kill us with that bow you hold in your hand instead of placing it where it belongs?”

She walked even closer to him, letting a smile dance on the edges of her lips “One could never be too careful around those who would tamper with others’ life, cornering them as a hobby and then smile in their face with black teeth after. Don’t you think?”

The leader signalled everyone to step outside, leaving him alone with whom they associated with the name Hwi. His order gained protests and huffs from the drunk hunters. Yet, the room was emptied seconds later “Let’s cut to the chase. Wolves and tigers seem to attack the villagers, the guards are being reckless now that everyone is terrified to go near _Kangmujang_ , or this will be the official story you will tell if you were to get caught. The real deal is to get a perfectly preserved wolf’s skin— the payment is a silver tongbu”

The payment was more than enough to get her mouth-watering, thinking about all the rice it will provide them with even after paying the physician's debts, however silver and Kangmujang in the same sentence was enough to make her knees weaken with fear at the same time “Why does it have to be a wolf from Kangmajung? I bet I can find some elsewhere. You know that it is forbidden to the public and being beheaded would be merciful of them if I was to get caught”

He shook his head in disbelief, barely sustaining himself from beating her into accepting his offer— he was sensible enough to tempt her with the view of the payment she will receive after succeeding _You’re running out of luck now, Hwi_ thought the man as a sly smile played on his lips “Tsk, Tsk. Do you think that animals from the royal forest are the same as those from the faraway jungles? This noble-born seems in a bit of a rush to wid his son, and those idiots will let my money fly outside of the window by simply existing let alone trying to get into Kangmujang”

She knew that he hated her enough to keep her as his last resort when she could be profiting from the job he will offer to her, but he liked getting paid more than his hatred for her so she accepted the money, trying not to think too much about the real reasons and possible outcomes of such money when she doesn’t have an alternative.

Yeon kept the bow close to her body in anticipation for an ambush at any given moment as she rose from her chair, cutting through the village without sensing anybody on her tail as she closed into her house on the furthest corner from the liveliness of the village.

Her longing for home grew more inside of her chest, fueling her pace as she saw it closing in on the horizon; she spent two days on her last hunt, leaving her brother on his own for that time. She stood still in front of the wooden gate that barely reached her stomach, dusting off her clothes and fixing her appearance before she allowed herself in. 

A delightful joy spread through her chest as she saw the candles burning inside of the house, indicating the fact that sleep still hasn’t gotten the best out of her twin’s sick body. _I still can give him the book before he could see it on his own tomorrow_ she thought to herself as she took out the book she stole from the bag on her shoulders. 

Pride was evident on her face as she stormed inside of their humble house “Orabi, don’t you get tired of reading these complicated books? I tried to read this one but my head is still throbbing”

His face brightened up upon noticing the meaning behind her outburst, which gave her the strength to face what lay ahead, no matter how enormous it will turn out to be. 

The twins stayed in silence for a while as Hwi skimmed through the book to figure its contents, but fear started planting its seeds within Yeon’s soul as the silence terrified her; the idea of living in a world where she won’t be able to feel her twin’s presence terrified her.

She suggested without giving it much thought to break the silence “Why don’t I make us dinner? I bet you didn’t cook well for yourself when I was away”

He felt fatigued cripples through his ill body, but he couldn’t deny her at least the pleasure of eating with him; he feigned oblivion to the demons that hunted his sister so she won’t bury them where he can no longer see.

However, she came to regret the suggestion she made not long after as she saw the poor state their jar of rice was at; it was barely sufficient to feed one of them for a couple more days “You just wait for me, I will fill you soon to the point of breaking up, just wait for me”

She kept repeating that, as some sort of prayer while cooking the rice, filling the downside of her bowl with a wooden piece so her brother won’t notice the difference between their bowls. 

Her little ploy didn’t pass the sharp eyes of her twin, getting caught amid her excuse of feeling full by the growl of her starving stomach “You have work to do tomorrow, eat to your fullest and face the world with even more strength” he said to her as he kept placing a spoonful of rice after another into her bowl.

She couldn’t help the smile that grew larger on her face every time she swallowed, remarking with a barely sustained laugh “Yukssi, rice is the best meal in the world. I will gain a lot of money and buy us a farm one day, just wait and see”

Hwi was caught in his sister’s contagious laughter as her mouth watered with the image of the vast field of rice waiting for her to devour.

He had to remind her to eat slowly so she won’t choke on her food while trying to hide the guilt of the idea being a dead weight that pulled her back as he focused on eating his share of the food she worked hard to place on their table.

However, she was able to see through his guilt as she spoke his worries out loud “ _I wish I was a bit stronger, I wish you didn’t have to disguise yourself and live your life for my sake_ … you were thinking of things like that, weren’t you? I don’t have your ability with words, so I am going to simply put the words you told me when I apologized to you back into your mouth. Don’t apologize, we are doing our best to survive in this world, we shared our mother’s womb, so it is only normal for us to live as one out here. Tch, guess being a bookworm teaches you how to say embarrassing things, I can’t believe you said it with a straight face”

She started fanning her face with her hand, getting embarrassed after saying the words she once thought fascinating when they left her brother’s mouth— the image in front of the said brother managed to brighten his mood, making him smile weakly at the liveliness of his sister that she was trying to fill up the room in his stead as well so he won’t have to waste any energy which he needed to stay awake “Fine, fine. You win. Let’s catch some sleep then, it’s getting late”

She washed their bowls, prepared their beds before she made sure that he ate his medicine and was tucked in warmly. 

Hwi was fast asleep, but the same couldn’t be said for the restless body next to his as she kept wondering whether the job she was about to take has far more danger than she could fathom… knowing the man who gave her the job, there is always a hidden purpose to every opportunity she has with his hands tampering over it.

The idea of leaving her brother behind sickened her to the point where she could feel the urge to throw up simply with it crossing her mind; knowing he will be left for the dead to collect him with the lack of support for his ill body soon after. However, the idea of her brother believing she has abandoned him was what truly killed her.

Despite that, taking that risk was the only way she knew how to stop herself from abandoning him; her hands were tied with the debt that will force her to watch her brother die a slow, painful death if she was even a day late from providing him with his medicine.

Feeling at loss, she crawled closer to him, hugging his waist with the least power she could manage with her trained body, too afraid that she would break him if she pressed a bit harder. That was enough to get him out of his light slumber, making him turn the other way to pat her on the head with his bony hands “Did you have a bad dream?”

She took a deep breath before she asked him, knowing that she will start hesitating if he looked her in the eyes “You know that I will never abandon you, right?”

He, too afraid to know what the reason behind her sudden deceleration, answered while patting her head “Yes, I know. You swore that on our father’s grave, and you’ve done your best to keep that promise so far”

He could sense her smile against his chest, so he held her closer as he kept soothing her short hair, telling her that everything will be fine repeatedly until tiredness took the best of him and he drifted into a deep sleep.

Once Hwi’s breaths were stable, she pulled herself from under him and started preparing for her next job; she needed to head to the forest before the first break of daylight, before the guards’ station themselves well after their change. She packed her arrows and wore the leather bag she usually puts the skin and body parts of her hunt in— praying to her father in heavens to watch over her once again so she won’t miss her target. 

She changed her attire, fixing the long piece of clothing she wrapped around her body in a way that would provide some sort of armour and counsel the fact she was a woman at the same time. She wrapped the first layer of it around her chest, then over both sides of her shoulders, and then back to her chest down to the rest of her torso. 

She walked up the mountain, taking the longer route to get inside of the forest away from everyone’s eyes. She never told anyone about the route she figured out once when she was younger, but her house was connected to the back of the forest.

The increment in guards’ numbers made her a bit worried, but not enough to go back home and declare defeat. She kept sneaking around different types of trees, resisting the temptation of hunting animals that were trying to escape for their lives; hunting down a wolf would require every stealth skill she could muster.

Placing her baits after locating the wolf was the trickiest part so far, she had to find a perfect spot where she would be capable of escaping if things went wrong, but also a relatively close spot to where the animal was so it will be lured into its death willingly.

She waited and waited for the wolf, fixing her breathing to conceal her presence as she matched the rhythm of the forest until her prey came to view.

The wolf kept on walking, slowly getting closer and closer to the baits she placed. They weren’t vital, neither were they meant to imprison him in any sort of way— she needed them so her arrow could pierce through its flesh exactly where she points it to without any help.

However, a herd of horses could be heard closing in, slowly approaching her perfect hunt as their riders seemed to shift destination when the wolf caught their eyes. Yeon now was in the middle of a dilemma she hadn’t calculated; a noble-born from the royal family decided to steal her prey without knowing she existed. She can’t expose her presence to them, but she can’t afford to go back empty-handed since it took her half of the day to locate the wolf and get it where she wanted.

Nevertheless, her body moved faster than her brain— grabbing the bow and aiming for the ears of the wolf so she won’t ruin the skin that will bring her silver. The arrow flew close to the noble-born without grazing him, but close enough to alarm his servants to the presence of a potential threat as their master marched alone earlier.

Knowing that there is no use of crying over spilt milk, she heaved a sigh upon the ruined wolf’s skin; she put her life on the line and exposed her presence for nothing now that the careless shot the noble-born pierced near the wolf’s heart. 

She walked confidently towards the dead body, determined to collect what’s hers now that she knew that the one she met isn’t the king who will get her beheaded for what she did… oblivious to the fact that her path has crossed with the man that terrified the king himself.

The disrespect the archer showed to the prince has both amused and angered him, Yeon dared to sigh loudly in his face rather than kneel and beg for her life to be spared. She was stopped by the personal guard of what she thought was a mere noble-born, telling her to kneel the moment she stepped on the paved road that they stopped their horses on, a few steps away from the wolf’s body.

Despite knowing she ought to hang her head low and beg for forgiveness, she knew they won’t give her the wolf if she easily showed submission— being trampled over and surviving the loss of a limb for trespassing was the lightest punishment she will get if she yielded now “And who you might be to make me kneel?”

The guard’s blood started boiling because of the disrespect the lowlife in front of him kept showing towards the future king, barely holding himself from unsheathing his sword and killing her “How dare you and your lowly knees—…”

She was unfazed by this kind of remarks, even allowing a scoff to escape her throat as she kneeled in front of the wolf to skin it “Since when did knees have social ranks? Pfft”

The conversation came to an end with the simple gesture of the noble’s fingers, alarming Yeon who couldn’t deny the worry that slowly started to creep inside of her gut the more she looked into the noble-born’s eyes. Nevertheless, she tried her best to prevent it from showing on her face as she took the arrow out of the animal’s lower side with a curse that was meant to release both of her worry and annoyance of the situation she got shoved into “Damn it, this blind arrow has ruined the skin all over”

The noble asked her from his high horse, leaning a bit on his sword “So you aimed purposely for the neck?”

A smile took over her face as she kept skinning the animal, trying her best not to brag about her skill in the process of explaining the proper way to hunt for a living “I aimed for its ears, not the neck; it is the only way to preserve the skin and get the highest payment for it”

A look of admiration took over the noble’s face, enjoying the refreshment of meeting someone who isn’t a noble nor aspiring to be “What’s your name?”

Only then did she realize the situation she is leading by her attitude— she once again put her brother’s name in harm's way, digging her grave by acting impulsively. I _might end up with a real injury, but I have to get out of this without making any sort of pact with this person…_ thought the girl as she tried to anger him into forgetting to ask more about her, preferring to start a chasing game than digging her feet more into the ground with every piece of conversation she makes with the man in front of her “They say it is rude to ask others for their name without providing yours first, right?”

He left an eyebrow, starting to get fed up with the arrogance of the archer in front of him as he kept on skinning the animal with no fear of the fact he was caught trespassing a royal ground so he answered her question with another “You fool, Kangmujan isn’t open to the public. Since you seem to be knowledgeable of the laws and manners, trespassing is a crime you should be punished for, right?”

 _I hope I can talk my way out of this_ she thought as a light smile took over her face, shaking her finger that was covered in blood— humming in denial “Wrong. Well, it is kind of right, but tigers and wolves of Kangmujan have become merchandise at the market for quite some time— the people in response are turning a blind eye so they can profit from it as well. Punish them first, then come and find me— I will receive mine gladly then”

Yeon could have seen the tension in everyone’s faces if she kept looking at them instead of the dead body she almost finished skinning, but the noble’s scream has forced her to shift her gaze back at them once again “YOU FOOL”

Her orbits shook on the idea of biting more than she could chew, but she managed to conceal her feelings with the careless facade she has been showing ever since she met the noble-born. However, the dead-end turned out to be a comedy she was made to be the clown of; the angry expressions of the noble turned into a big smile as a laugh escaped his throat once their eyes met “Right, you little fool, sure thing. What you said is right. I am prince Jeongan, also known as Bang-Won from the Yi family”

He fixed his posture as he no longer was leaning forward, enjoying the utter shock that took over the archer’s face the moment he declared his identity; she knew stories about the prince, but this was her first time putting a face to them. 

_What in the world have I involved myself in?_ Thought the girl as she realized that his identity has some connection behind the hefty payment this simple hunt was supposed to pay. 

She was pulled out of her trace of thoughts by the prince’s question “I introduced myself. Now let me ask you once again, what is your name?”

After running out of ways that won’t ensure her death, she had no choice but to bring her brother’s name— speaking in a low tone at the beginning before she regains her strength “Hwi… Soe Hwi”

Once she said her name, one of the prince’s men seemed to recognize her, making her head storm with thousands of ideas as she looked around to figure out as much as she can on the prince’s escorts; a fight might break soon and she had a slim chance of winning it.

Almost as if he read her mind, the prince made her an offer— a way out of her dilemma “When you get sick of the mountains, seek me out. I will put you in good use”

Nevertheless, the offer was another trap that would end up in her certain death— working under the royal family with a stolen identity was the only thing she couldn’t allow herself to do. She was borrowing her twin’s identity, working as an official was simply depriving him of any rights to claim it back once he got healthier.

She was left with two options, either lying to the prince by accepting his offer and live in hiding until he gets bored of seeking her out, or keep acting under the careless facade until she can pave an outlet for herself without taking part in the unknown agenda behind this job “I decline. I would rather be a rooster's head than a bull’s tail. It seems to me you have plenty of those tails, I won’t add much to the collection”

She wished she had the real Hwi’s way with words at this moment; she had dug her feet even deeper on the ground with her choice of words.

“ _Your Highness_ ” The royal guard that has been sustaining his fury finally exploded, the prince himself didn’t bother to stop him this time as he threatened the archer when she overstepped the last line she was allowed to even come close to “There is no doubt you have talent, but those knees of yours need to be taught how to be more humble first”

Before the swordsman could reach Yeon, he was stopped by the one that recognized the name of _Seo Hwi_ earlier, underestimating the archer as he spoke to the rest of the prince’s escorts “A chicken doesn’t deserve to be killed by a sword, these scythes will suffice”

Yeon barely sustained the smile from taking over her face completely, a way for her to survive another day has just opened because of someone else’s arrogance and longing for acknowledgement “If someone heard you, they might think we are at a slaughterhouse. At least give me a sword to defend myself with?”

She directed her question to the royal guard, but she was surprised to see the prince taking his sword out of its sheath before he lets it stab the soil near her feet. She looked at him and thanked him as she took it with her left hand.

Given the prince’s sword was a great honour that his escorts saw the hunter unworthy of it, so the scythes wielder threatened Yeon as he stepped closer “His highness want me to teach you how to kneel, falling dead seems to be the best way to teach arrogant bandits like you”

Holding the sword in her hand caused a change in characters, confidence was evident in her face as she smirked and swung it one more time to have a better feeling for the grip “Who will teach whom? Tsk”

The scythes wielder face twitched in anger as he hissed every word before he attacks her “ _I_ will teach _You_ ”

The two of them started dancing, Yeon trying to escape the scythes’ blades while their wielder keeps attacking her with one at a time— the prince kept a close look at their movement, starting to suspect the archer’s motive the more she managed to block his skilful servant’s attacks.

The dance kept going for a few seconds, the sound of the blades as they hit one another echoed through the wood before Yeon manages to block an attack that was meant to make two holes in her skull— her opponent has forced her to move a bit further from the prince and his escorts so he could ask her whether she was the person behind the death of the Minister of Funding, alarming her about the connection that could rise by bringing something she has done a few weeks ago to the job she was handed by the same person.

Knowing better than to indulge herself with this stream of conversation, she switched from defence to offence the moment he pulled back his scythes for the next attack “I guess this is all the fun we'll have for the day”

Her opponent’s lips trembled in anger as he threatened to take her life with his blades, making her encounter with the same threat but with a smug attitude instead of being swallowed by anger. 

Putting all of her doubts and anger into the sword, she hit his blades with the blade, forcing her opponent into regaining his lost balance by taking a full circle rather than a couple of steps to the back; he managed to put more force into his next swing by the momentum he gained with that full body-turn.

That trick gained Yeon the time she needed to hold the sword upside down as he made his next attack, forcing her to back off because of his strength _One step, two and_ she counted in her head, taking a strong step on the soft soil before she swings the blade over her head, showing great flexibility as she forced her opponent to keep running under the pressure of his own scythes now that she wasn’t on the receiving end of them. 

Giving in to his anger was the natural outcome for her opponent now that he could sense the equal grounds he stood on against whom they thought of a low-class hunter, leading him to the decision of throwing one of his scythes to her to gain time until his final attack. However, his plans were interrupted by an arrow to his chest and a scream of _AN AMBUSH!_

Since he drove her away from the prince and his servants, he was the only one who saw the look on Yeon’s face as she realized the devious plan she was made to thread its dots for a while unknowingly— mistaking her reaction with the arrogant thought of being the only one who caught her red-handed for the second time.

Whoever was behind this wanted her to take the blame for the prince’s assassination; it won’t be hard to connect his murder to the minister her opponent recognized her for killing him!

Her body froze in fear, crippled by the stream of thoughts she was unable to sort amid the sounds of arrows flying everywhere. She has two choices ahead once again, either to run for her life now with the wolf’s skin amid the chaos or to stay and help to save the prince’s life now that she was the only standing archer besides the prince. The first choice will confirm the suspicions of her partaking in the assassination attempt, while the second will gives her identity away as the existence of left-handed archer was rare in her village.

She grabbed the bow from the soil near the wolf’s body, shooting an arrow towards the archer that was aiming for the prince who climbed closer to him. She started running behind the prince, avoiding the arrows that took down the raiders behind her.

With fast legs, Yeon managed to catch up with the prince’s horse as the two of them hid behind close-by trees, she couldn’t help herself from repeating her father’s words out loud to regulate her breaths “The only way to stop yourself from getting shot is—...” _to shoot_ she completed in her head as she located movements near a pine tree. 

She told the prince where she thought the assassin was hiding as he drew back his bow to catch the alarmed prey “20 steps away from the tree” he said as he released the arrow that was going to be vital if it wasn’t for the wind. Yeon knew better than to interrupt the prince, telling him to add 5 more steps because of the wind she felt touching the hair behind her ears, especially when he stated with confidence “Want to know how to stop being targeted? Follow me”

The two of them started running together to an open space where they’d have better vision over that pine tree, but their drawn bows were loosened as they lost their target.

Yeon allowed her bow to rest back to its normal position, fear crippling into her chest once again now that the earlier drive of protecting vanished alongside the target— wondering if she has taken the right choice. The prince looked at her with amusement because of the way she handled her bow after seeing the way she fought with the sword earlier “You are good” he complimented her as he whistled for his horse to climb up to him.

The two of them walked back to the place they left the wolf’s body at, leaving her to finish skinning the animal as he had a brief look at the state of his escorts. She was looking wary at the statues of the escorts as well, trying to figure an outlet as the prince started speaking— hands held behind his back “Guards are posted 100 steps in all eight directions, and then 50 steps in the four directions within. How did you get past them?”

She finished skinning the animal as he ended his question, so she reached out for the leather bag she brought along “I didn’t get past them, I was already inside of the forest when they positioned— I need to lay low if I wanted to catch the wolf instead of getting my arm ripped off by it”

He stepped closer to her, luring her into revealing her true intentions one way or the other “I owe you one”

She smiled, not completely oblivious to his intentions, as she hit the animal’s body with her knife “Then let me have this wolf to myself”

He knew that this wasn’t all that the hunter would ask for, so he asked her again “That was already yours. Now tell me, what is it that you want?”

She knew that asking for nothing would be suspicious, but asking for something would be even more suspicious— she hummed, deep in thoughts before she says “Then give me a sack of rice, I wouldn’t say no for to either”

A laugh left his throat, a loud one that sent chills down his servants’ spine “You fool, I tell you that a prince owes you one, and you only ask him for rice? Are you humble, or are you too afraid of aiming high?”

She placed the skin inside of the leather bag before she stood on both of her feet, taking a deep breath as she thought about pushing her luck for one last time, gambling on the voice at the back of her head that she has promised herself not to listen to ever again.

She lifted the sword from the ground, handing it to the prince with eyes that held nothing but determination within them “Then I shall ask for a chance to be heard”

The prince took the sword out of her hand, letting its blade cut through the air and stop right before it slit through the flesh on her neck “Are you begging for your life after participating in taking mine?”

Her eyes reflected the determination he had in his own, even the feeling of the cold steel against her neck couldn’t cut through it “I didn’t have anything to do with that attempt. If I did, I would’ve been the assassin rather than the decoy— I aim to kill, not to injure” 

He put his sword back to its sheath before he tightens his lips together, giving her the chance she asked for “You have your chance, show me how you will prove your innocence”

She took a deep breath before she asked the prince for an arrow and an escort “Decide whether I should take a living soul or moving object. I will have this guard confirming I am at a safe distance of 70 steps away before I hit the target you choose” 

The royal guard stepped between the two of them before he tried to protest and talk the prince out of going along with her plan “You Highness! He is only saying that so he could run away. Don’t give this arrogant lowlife a chance to commit more foolish actions”

He lifted his fingers once again, telling her that he will give her some time to position before he lets a horse loose with a hostage on top of it— she has to kill the raider with a single arrow; it would’ve been her only chance to kill the prince and get away with it.

She started walking away with the guard the prince chose for her, counting the distance as she changed the direction she walked to because a hunt would stop being a hunt if the target knew where it was going to be hit. 

The royal guard couldn’t prevent himself from trying to persuade the prince into changing his mind “Why have you allowed him to run, your highness? He could be the mastermind behind this ploy and you gave him another chance to fix his friend’s mistake”

A light laugh left the prince’s lips as he played with the fan in his hand “I am counting on the fact he will escape. I want you to follow him closely and see what he will do after this and bring him to me after learning more about him— there aren’t many left-handed archers in Joseon”

He nodded and without further questions, he headed to the place pointed by the prince as the hostage’s horse was cut loose to run and test Yeon’s abilities.

Truthful to her words, she positioned herself in a place with an escape route, feeling the wind moving her bangs to add extra 10 steps to her aim before she let the prince’s red arrow pierces through the moving target’s neck. She took advantage of the concentration of the guard who accompanied her, stabbing his leather shoes with the knife hidden inside of her vest before she elbows him in his balls, hitting his throat as he leaned forward to stop him from shouting before she hit the back of his neck to drop him cold on the ground “I am sorry. I need to arrange a few things before I get my throat slit by your master”

She descended through the steep side of Kangmujang, wearing the guard’s attire to fool some of the other guards into leaving their positions before she took care of the remaining two with double arrows that she shot at the same time.


	2. Chapter 2

Besides the severely wounded archer, the rest of the assassins were either dead or caught by the prince’s men; the ones who plotted the death of the said prince were left in the dark due to their lack of knowledge. Yeon knew that they wouldn’t be able to tell whether she lived or not, so she took advantage of that to plan her expedition.  
Her search started by waiting outside of the bandits’ tavern, on top of one of the distanced buildings, waiting for someone to act out of fear. However, waiting for so long started to feed her fears into spiralling out of her festered wounds, which she fought against by touching the materials of her bow.

The night took over the sky, and soon bandits started crawling outside of their den to attend to their needs away from curious eyes. People reveal their bounds by licking each other’s worries the moment they feel threatened she thought to herself as a smirk resided on her face, hunting down her prey from the shadows.  
The chase game dragged for a bit longer than she had anticipated, but the destination they ended up at lit the extinguished fire within her chest; ghosts of the past stormed outside of the pit she buried them in as she saw the bandit entering a noble house.

The rain knew no mercy, washing down the pleas of the barely ten winters child “Master, Master. I am begging you, help my father to reside next to my mother” she kept shouting as she hammered down the wooden gates with her small fists. Tiredness crippling her movement, wary of the tears she shed from the moment she witnessed her father’s life taken by his own hands. Yet, she had a duty to fulfil; she must reunite her parents in their afterlife after being the reason for their separation in this one.  
After long hours of shouting and knocking on the wooden gates, the mid-forty noble stepped outside, pushing the child to fall on her father’s dead body as he dismissed her pleas mercilessly “I won’t have anything to do with that man. He died to atone his crimes, and making him reside inside of my house will mean I am an accomplice of his”  
The girl fell on her knees, scraping it with the stones on the floor as a lump choked her words “You were his close friend. I beg you. Please let him lay next to my mother! Please, they won’t meet otherwise. I beg you; I will do anything, please help them meet”  
He spat next to her as he threw a dagger in her heart with his words, no signs of remorse on his stern face “You want to atone for the sin of being birthed from your dead mother’s body? Maybe you should atone in the same way your father did and leave your sick brother for his death as well. Don’t ever show your face in front of my house”

As if the venomous words weren’t enough for him, he kicked the child one last time, dusting off his clothes strongly as if the fabrics were to catch the plague otherwise. A sense of satisfaction took over his chest as he saw the strong-willed child’s soul withering because of him, knowing he caused her misery by shutting the gate in her face, similar to the path waiting ahead of her,  
She started dragging the hay bed of her father’s corpse up the mountains, fighting tears and bleeding legs. The climb of the unpaved road was hard, nothing supported her small body besides the thick rope she wrapped around her waist but she knew that wallowing in self-pity wasn’t an option as she reminded herself of her sick brother who will start searching for her soon.   
Soon enough, she found a proper spot to dig a grave, apologising to the gutted corpse without a break.

To force her brain back to the present, Yeon looked at the visible remnants on her palms from digging all night back then. She started to regulate her breaths by touching each of those scars, trying to calm the fire within her chest before it devours any sense of reason within her tiny body. He who loses his temper first loses his battle, she reminded herself as she decided the whereabouts of her next destination; Ihwaru.


End file.
